Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail star as Pakistan seal series
Gunathilaka's sublime hundred in vain as hosts ace 298 chase in Karachi
Gunathilaka's sublime hundred in vain as hosts ace 298 chase in Karachi
Scorer: M Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Sreshth Shah (@sreshthx)
And as Sarfaraz and his boys collect the trophy, it's time for all of us at ESPNcricinfo to say goodbye. Hope you enjoyed our coverage of the ODI series in Karachi. We'll see you in three days for the T20I series that kicks off in Lahore. Till then, it's goodbye!
11.17pm Time for the presentation.
Pakistan captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed: "Wasn't an easy task chasing this. Credit goes to Abid. The way he handled the pressure. Congratulations to him. Credit goes to all the batsmen which is why we achieved the target. Fielding was not upto the mark. We have to improve that. If we field like that in T20Is, we won't win many matches. Thanks to crowd for supporting both teams. I played here after 10 years. Everyone loves playing at home, so hopefully cricket continues in Pakistan. Sri Lanka will come strong in T20Is, we won't take them lightly."
Sri Lanka captain Lahiru Thirimanne: "Proud, because boys fought very hard. Scoring 297 was good, but after that we didn't execute our plans in the first 10-15 overs with the ball. But overall, very proud. Dasun and Shehan batted well the other day. And Gunathilaka's century against this attack, it's very good. It's my first time in Pakistan, been a really good experience. I encourage more teams to come and play."
Babar Azam is the Player of the Series. He says, "The hundred two nights ago was my first hundred in Pakistan, so proud of that. My plan is to bat all the overs I can. We've got a good confidence boost from this series, hope to carry it through to the T20Is."
Abid Ali is the Player of the Match for his 74, replacing Imam-ul-Haq for this match. He says, "However much I thank Allah, it's not enough. I got a good opportunity today and was happy to do well. I must thank the management and players for backing me. I am thankful to the fans for coming to the ground here in Karachi. Hope to have more international cricket here."
This win was Pakistan's 92nd win over Sri Lanka, the most for a team against an opposition
11.06pm So Pakistan eventually cruise to a win but Sri Lanka can hold their heads high. Their inexperienced XI gave Pakistan a solid fight today. We saw some excellent batting performances today. Gunathilaka and Shanaka were impressive in the afternoon, after which the incoming Abid Ali set the chase up beautifully. Fakhar found form too, while Haris and Iftikhar sealed the win late in the evening. The teams are now shaking hands. Dil dil Pakistan resonates around the Karachi stadium
Jaan: "There is a tough competition for both man of the match and man of the series"
Andy Cricket Bo: "My man of the match goes to Abid Ali with a fine half century, coming into the side, and took the opportunity with both hands plus finished on the winning side"
salman: "'Man of the series' should be awarded to the whole Srilankan Squad, #thanksforcoming"
Haris Sohail b Jayasuriya 56 (50b 3x4 1x6) SR: 112.00
The opener has had a troubled past but took his chance back in the ODI side
Gunathilaka's sublime hundred in vain as hosts ace 298 chase in Karachi
Having hurt the webbing in his hand while fielding in the second ODI, Imam-ul-Haq is in doubt for the third match